1967 Plymouth Valiant A/C Project Build - Chilled Chariot

1/30Ok, maybe this is a little too cold, but a working A/C is worth its weight in gold on those humid summer days.

It's summer, and you've just climbed into the driver seat of your Mopar. You back out of the driveway and start what you think will be a nice, enjoyable drive. But now you're sitting at your third very long stoplight, and the enjoyable drive is not so enjoyable in the 100-degree heat and 90-precent humidity. But it could be enjoyable if your ride had air conditioning. We hear you guys in the back row whispering, "Yeah, but my car never had A/C, so I guess I'm outta luck." Guess what, you're in luck.

What if your car never came with A/C? There aren't any factory A/C components left in the salvage yards, and if there were, would it be rebuildable? After a couple years and several thousand miles in the Valiant without air conditioning, we decided it was time, but we thought the same thing, and then found Classic Auto Air in Tampa, Florida.

2/30Completed, the underhood parts are a clean installation that looks right at home.

Classic Auto Air has designed what they call their Perfect Fit Series system--a one-piece, in-dash, heat/cool/defrost total climate-control system that replaces the old heater box. What's more, the factory heater controls work the system. There's no need to find factory A/C controls, or modify your dash to use an aftermarket controller. Each kit is designed specifically for each year, make, and model of car. Another feature is the separate heat and A/C coils. Some competitors' kits use one coil for both the A/C and heat, but when part of the cooling coil is used as a heater, the heater tubes could possibly freeze and burst. having the A/C and heat coils as two separate units eliminates that problem.

Under the hood, a Sanden compressor is used instead of the old V-twin RV-2 design. This is not only more efficient, but looks a lot cleaner under the hood. Reproduction condensers are installed in factory provided locations and make installation a breeze.

Earlier we mentioned finding a rebuildable system from the salvage yard. There are systems out there, but when you factor in the inefficient 30-year-old design, the cost of finding, rebuilding, and installing such a system may cost more than it's worth. The kit from Classic Auto Air has all-new components with easy-to-follow directions. To us, the choice is obvious.

3/30Completed, the underdash unit is a clean installation that looks right at home.

So, we've told you all the good features about the kit, but how does it fit? That's what we're going to show you.

Working Its BestIn order for an A/C system to work efficiently for a long time, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

The condenser must have a sufficient airflow through it for the heat exchange process to take place. If your car does not have a fan shroud to force the air to come through the radiator, or your fan cannot pull enough air through the radiator and condenser, your cooling inside the car will not be as good as possible.

If you're not using your A/C for an extended period of time, it is a good idea to run the A/C for a short period of time to keep the seals and other compressor components lubed by the compressor oil.